G day from Oz

I have several firearms, but my favorite one is my 1895 Marlin Lever Action .444 cal
I shoot pigs, skippys, goats, deer--(all varieties), even nailed a feral cat, one day

I reload my own and use 47gr AR2207 (not sure of the Hodgeson equivalent) behind a 265gr Hornady pill.
Thinking of changing to the FTX rubber poit, as they are supposed to give better performance !

But I have a couple of issues.
1). I cannot unload just the tube, no matter what, as it is physically impossible to open the side gate any further. This leaves me no alternative but to cycle everything fully thru the action, rendering things potentially deadly.
Can this be fixed ?

2) I dropped the .444 in the mud just 2 weeks back, on a shooting trip, and had to field strip the rifle, with bad fitting screwdrivers, and buggering up some of the heads, on the screws.
Where do I get a kit from ?
Will they send to Oz ?

First of all, Welcome to the group. Glad to have you here.
I've owned Marlin Lever Gun for years. Never considered unloading the magazine through the loading gate. Never seen it done. My 35 rem. 336s has the cross bar safety and the 30-30 does not. The cross bar safety is used when cycling the action to unload my 35 rem. As for my 30-30, it's not an option. It just seems to be the nature of the beast. I've heard of accidental discharges but haven't had one myself. Just keep it pointed in a safe direction and stay away from the trigger. If someone knows of a way that it can be done, maybe they will share it.

the lever actions are made to be unloaded by cycling the lever. as Grey said, just the nature of the beast.

check out Numrich Gun Parts. they should have all the screws you need to fix up that rifle. pretty sure you will have to get them seperately as i don't know of a kit that has all the screws together in it.

Welcome aboard Bucky. We love to hear hunting stories from 'down under'. The loading gate tension is stiff for a reason...to keep shells from backing out during use. If the loading gate was soft enough to back shells out by hand it could happen during recoil and jam your rifle.

Too bad about the rifle in the mud. I'm sure axxe55 is right. Numrich should have all the screws you need.

I am aware of the cross bar safety and I watched a video that shows unloading from the loading gate, and it works fine.
It's also put on you tube, and there is also an Aussie doing a field strip of his 366 marlin.
If there is a way, I will find it.
Then I can share it with you.

And thanks for the tips.
Anything I can help you lot with just ask, and I see what I can do.

I have heaps of hunting stories, and would love to share experiences. All great too.
Although missing a trophy Sambar stag, in latest this year has been my biggest disappointment.